Obama to postpone drilling

#51
#51
Simple question. Is it in the best interest of your country to restrict access to natural resources?

He is all about national security, right?
 
#52
#52
TennTradition said:
Do you mean how close is the US politically to recycling nuclear fuel...or do you mean how much of the fuel is recycled in currently employed closed nuclear fuel cycles in other countries? As a disclaimer, I've studied nuclear fuel cycles and fuel recycling to some degree - but not much (basically just spent a summer on it), so I'm not sure how much help I will be.
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I had read an article on France's Nuclear Power program, saying that they recycle about 75% of their nuclear waste, and basically store the rest in designated warehouse. Just wandering how close we were to getting that other 25% recycled?
 
#53
#53
alaVOL said:
What kind of logic is this, can someone with COMMON sense really understand this? The Chinese are drilling off our shores and we are going just leave em more room to get our oil. I guess the Chinese will follow all of the safety regulations of the USA and keep our...I mean their oil from spilling onto our shores. Great, they get our oil and any pollution we get anyway......


Part of an article in 2006. Wake up and smell the coffee people!
While Washington dithers over exploiting oil and gas reserves off the coast of Florida, China has seized the opportunity to gobble up these deposits, which run throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and along the U.S. Gulf coast.

The Chinese have forged a deal with Cuban leader Fidel Castro to explore and tap into massive oil reserves almost within sight of Key West, Florida. At the same time, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who controls the largest oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere, is making deals to sell his country�s oil to China, oil that is currently coming to the United States.

Meanwhile, a new left-wing populist regime in Bolivia has nationalized the natural gas industry, threatening to cut off supplies to the United States.

SLANT DRILLING

There are new reports out circulating that Chinese firms are planning to slant drill off the Cuban coast near the Florida Straits, tapping into U.S. oil reserves that are estimated at 4.6 billion to 9.3 billion barrels. This compares with 4 billion to 10 billion barrels believed to be beneath the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, where drilling is held up in Congress due to the objections of environmental groups which warn of endangering caribou. Permission to drill in the refuge, which experts are certain will not present any environmental hazard, has failed by just two votes in the Senate.

As Chinese business increases its reach around the world, it is seeking oil, which it lacks domestically.
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You have a great point. Either we drill it, or let the Chinese steal it. I have seen both U.S. and Chinese drilling operations. There is no comparison. The U.S. oil companies standards are extremely high for both safety and efficiency. :zeitung_lesen:
 
#56
#56
iceman9 said:
I had read an article on France's Nuclear Power program, saying that they recycle about 75% of their nuclear waste, and basically store the rest in designated warehouse. Just wandering how close we were to getting that other 25% recycled?
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France employs a pretty conventional PUREX recycling scheme I think, so it could possibly be improved on to some degree - but there is only so much that is recyclable to begin with. As far as how much of the reusable fuel can be recylced - I would say that number is probably as high as 90 or 95%. That's not to say that 90% of the waste is recycled...but that you're recovering 90-95% of the reusable product. I don't know how expensive it would be to do that - so 75% may be more of an optimal point. You could significantly reduce the amount of nuclear fuel to be sent to the repository with an effective recycling program. But, there are concerns as well. There are other wastes associated with many of the recycling schemes - which is a serious concern. Also, proliferation concerns are important because you are basically recovering plutonium from the spent nuclear fuel - and it is generally easier to build a plutonium bomb than a uranium bomb. The safeguards and proliferation concerns associated with reprocessing/recycling are something that have been a thron in its side for some time.
 
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